In view of the changing patterns of delivery of psychiatric services, without controlled evaluation data, it is proposed to do a controlled study of the relative effectiveness, as measured by two-year community followup, of short hospitalization (defined here as one to 28 days, average 21 days) as an alternative to long hospitalization (60 days to four months, or more, average 90 days) for schizophrenic patients in need of hospital care and for whom both treatments are judged clinically feasible. In addition, we aim to determine patient characteristics associated with differential benefit from short and long stay. Sample will be 80 consecutive schizophrenic patients who at the time of admission will be randomly assigned to either short or long hospitalization on the same ward. Both groups will receive intensive treatment using all appropriate modalities and with fixed psychopharmacological dosage schedules. Measures of change will be done throughout hospitalization and at one - and two-year followup, using the Psychiatric Evaluation Form, Katz Adjustment Scales, Brief Followup Rating, and Health-Sickness Rating Scale. Outcomes will be examined separately for good-and poor-premorbid groups as defined by the Premorbid Asocial Adjustment Scale, and for paranoid and non-paranoid groups.